Vacuum tube



1934- I. E. MOUROMTSEFF ET AL 1,971,988

VACUUM TUBE Filed Oct. 20, 1927 INVEMTOR Ilia E. Mouromtsefw" and TTO RNEY Patented Aug. 28, 1934 VACUUM. TUBE Ilia E. Mouromtseff and Gregory V. Rylsky, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignors to Westinghouse Electrio and Manufacturin tion of Pennsylvania "Application October 20,

g Company, a corpora 1927, Serial No. 227,425

. 3' Claims. (01. 250-275) I Our invention relatesto electrical discharge devices and particularly to cooling means for hi hpower radio tubes. I 7

One object of our 'invention is ,to insure the effective cooling of radio-discharge devices.

Another object of.;our, invention is to provide cooling means in which an interruption of the flow or cooling liquid for a brief interval will not cause injury to an electrical discharge tube. being cooled thereby. r j I A' further object of our invention is to provide means whereby a failure to turn on;,the liquid used to cool the electrical dischar e device at the moment the said device is put into operation will not resultininjury thereto.

Other objects of our invention-will .becomeapparent through reading the following specification, taken in connection with the drawing, wherein, v r

The single figure shows a longitudinal section of a water-jacket for-cooling theexternal anode of a radio tube in accordance with our, invention.

The usual high-power radio-transmitting tube of the present day has .an anode comprising a hollow metallic cylinder constituting a portion of the wall of the enclosing vessel. In a high-power tube, the amount of heat set freeat the anode is so great as to require artificial cooling, and it has become a standard practice to provide the anode of such tube with a water-jacket through which a stream of cooling water is kept continually flowing from an external source. In order that the cooling shall be as efficient as possible, it is necessary that the cooling-water flow along the anode walls with a considerable velocity. Unless an extremely large volume of liquid is to be circulated, the foregoing requirement as to velocity means that the radial depth of the stream of water in contact with the anode wall cannot be very great. It is also a fact that there is an optimum radial depth of water which gives the most eflicient cooling, and this depth is relatively small. In other words, the water jacket should be but little larger in diameter than 5 the anode in a tube of the prior art.

On the other hand, there is considerable liability that the operator of such tube may forget to turn on the stream of cooling water the very instant that the tube is placed in electrical operation. If such is the case, only a small depth of water is present around the anode wall. The latter is very rapidly heated to the boiling point and may then uncover the anode wall and result in rapid ruin of the latter, through overheating. On this account, it is desirable that the depth of water in contact with the anode wall shall be considerable; Momentary interruption of the flow of cooling water is likewise liable to result in heating the water in the jacket to its boiling point and to result in ruin of the anode unless a considerable volume of cooling water is in contact therewith. The requirements for efficient cooling, and for the presence of a large volume of fluid to guard against the ruinous consequences of interruption of the cooling. water, are 6 thus contradictory to each other. Y In connection with'our invention, we provide a waterjacket in which a large voluine of cooling water isin thermal contact with the anode wall, and which, nevertheless, provides for a rapid flow of the coolingwater in contact therewith This resultis accomplished by surrounding the anode wall by a partition leaving only a relatively narrow space through which the incoming cooling water is compelled to flow at a high velocity. 75. Outside this partition, is provided an enclosing cylinder of considerably. larger diameter which holds a considerable volume of comparatively stationary cooling fluid By this means, the advantages of rapid flow against the anode surface and of a large volume of surrounding fiuid'are both obtained.

Referring in detail to Fig. 1, the water-jacket embodying our invention consists of an outer cylindrical casing 1 which is provided, at its lower end, with a flange 2 having a threaded portion 3 which makes a water-tight engagement with the metallic anode 4 of a high-power radio tube of any conventional type. The particular form of connection between the flange 2 and the anode 4 9o utilizes a threaded portion on the wall of the anode 4 upon which the flange 2 is screwed. Any well known method of producing a water-tight joint may, however, be used.

Near the lower end of the container, an inlet tube 5 enters. Inside the container 1 is positioned a cylindrical partition 6, the lower end of which is surrounded by a sleeve 7 which is supported on an annular partition 8 encircling the interior of the container 1 just above the level of the inlet 1.00 pipe 5. The construction will be evident from an examination of the drawing.

The partition 6 is only slightly larger in diameter than the anode 4, and, near its upper end, it is provided with bosses 9 which maintain the latter 1 evenly spaced away from it. A series of openings 11 is provided in the upper end of the cylinder 6. The upper end of the container 1 is pro vided with an outlet pipe 12 for the cooling Water.

As the result of the above described structure,

cooling water entering through the inlet pipe 5 is compelled to flow in a rapid stream in the narrow space between the cylinder 6 and the anode 4, thereby very effectively cooling the latter. The upper end of the container 1 constitutes a reservoir in which the velocity of the flowing stream quickly disappears, and the water flows away through the tube 12 at a moderate rate. The openings 11 into the portion of the container 1 outside the partition 6 cause the latter to be filled with a body of relatively stagnant water.

In case the radio tube is started in electrical in contact with the anode 4 results in-eflicient cooling of the latter. a

While we have described our invention as particularly adapted to the cooling of a high-power radio tube, it will be evident that its principles are not limited to such a use, but may be applied,

generally, to the cooling of surfaces which are of such a character that injury results if they are permitted to rise beyond a certain predetermined temperature. It is desirable, in this connection, that the cooling fluid used should be one which boils at a temperature below the aforesaid critical temperature. It will also be evident that, while our invention is applicable to cooling systems which maintain surfaces with which they are in contact below a certain predetermined tempera- 40' ture, it is also applicable to circulatory systems designed to maintain surfaces above a certain predetermined temperature.

The principles above disclosed are, accordingly, applicable to many purposes other than those here specifically described which will be evident and an outlet at another portion thereof and means providing at least two coextensive paths between said inlet and said outlet, the corresponding ends of the paths being in liquid communication, one of ,said paths being of shallow depth next to said electrode whereby said liquid will pass rapidly over the surface of said electrode and another of said paths being of considerable depth whereby a large body of relatively stagnant liquid is available for absorbing heat from said electrode. 7

2. A liquid cooling jacket for the external electrode of an electron discharge device having an inlet at one portion, an outlet at another portion thereof, an opening for the insertion of the external electrode between said two portions, and a partition providing two coextensive paths of flow between said inlet and said outlet, the corresponding ends of said paths being in liquidcommunication. V

3. A liquid cooling jacket for the external electrode of an electron discharge device havingan inlet at one portion, an outlet at another portion, an opening for the insertion of the external electrode between said two portions and a partition dividing the jacket into two coextensive compartments, said partition being closely adjacent the position of said external electrode whereby the compartment between the partition and the major portion of the external electrode surface is very shallow, the othercompartment being of greater depth, the corresponding ends of the two compartments being in liiquid communication. V

ILIA E. MOUROMTSEFF. -GREGORY V. RYLSKY.

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